Episode 118
The bird, leisurely enjoying the breeze, resembled me when I was a bird.
And that brazen attitude, too.
‘Come to think of it, didn’t the Tower Master say something like that?’
‘The soul that called you here exists somewhere. It will appear when the time is right.’
If that bird, visible only to me, was the soul that called me here…
Then it was probably the original soul of this body I possessed.
‘But it doesn’t seem to have anything to say to me.’
For the past few days, it had just been fluttering around me, hopping around, and curiously peeking at things.
Whenever I asked if it had something to say, it would just chirp and feign ignorance.
“You… you look just like me, so I’m asking, are you the original soul of this body?”
“Beep. Chirp.”
Even when I spoke to it, it just wagged its tail feathers, looking at the flowers in the vase.
Still, it wouldn’t linger around me without a reason. The incident at the hunting grounds, where I was able to eliminate all the monsters in the area, happened after this bird spoke to me.
‘…I’ll help you wield this power.’
The power that had only come out when I desperately needed it had flowed freely, and it felt strange. As if the divine power would obey my will.
It was a completely different feeling from when I struggled to heal.
But knowing all this, why was this bird…?
“You can control divine power better than I can, so why aren’t you returning to this body? The Tower Master said you called me here.”
The bird, finally stopping what it was doing, halfheartedly flapped its wings. And then it landed on my hand and preened its feathers.
Its nonchalant, almost dismissive attitude was a little baffling.
—You’re too impatient.
The casual remark echoed in my mind. It was the same voice I had heard during the crisis.
“You can talk after all.”
“Beep?”
It chirped and then pretended to be an ordinary bird, feigning ignorance.
‘This is like looking in a mirror. I also acted like that after causing trouble.’
It was truly annoying, even though I knew my mind had become younger after being reincarnated as a bird. It made me respect Cesar and Sylvia, who adored me even when I was like this.
“Don’t pretend you can’t talk after you already did.”
—It’s bad to make a bird speak human language.
“You’re not even a real bird.”
—What do you want to know? I’ll tell you everything when the time comes.
“When will that time come?”
—I think I chose the wrong person to bring here.
The bird turned its head away, expressing its displeasure.
“If you brought me here, you should at least explain things to me. Do you know how hard it was for me to become human after being reincarnated as a bird? And what happened after that!”
It would take more than a day to explain everything.
And now that I had finally reached the end of the original story, a suspicious bird soul had appeared and was lingering around me.
I deserved a medal for my patience.
—I explained everything. You just don’t remember.
“What?”
—It’s easy to seal the memories of a soul inhabiting my body. You were already dead in that world, and I needed someone to bring me freedom. Our interests aligned. You wanted to live, and I needed you.
“This is the first time I’m hearing this. Do memories disappear that quickly?”
—Do you remember my original body?
A sudden influx of information made my head spin.
So, I was the one who caused all this trouble.
‘Wow, seriously. I want to slap my past self.’
To choose a life filled with such hardships just to survive…
Well, they say a drowning man will clutch at straws…
—Why are you so distressed? You changed your fate. You protected the person you love and are now living by their side.
That was true. I had someone precious to protect, someone to love, someone to share my heart with.
“But there are still people targeting you. What are you, exactly? What are you that you possess such divine power? Originally, you should have…”
—Yes. Died.
A calm voice briefly confirmed it. The small bird seemed strangely pitiful, as if it had endured much hardship.
—But you know, I’m reborn when I die. With the same soul, in a new egg, as a guardian bird protecting the Holy Kingdom. And all my previous memories disappear.
“Memories disappear…”
—Why do you think they were so unconcerned?
“…”
I didn’t know such details. I had been too busy following the plot of the original story to think about myself. I had awakened my powers by chance.
But now, hearing its explanation, I understood.
“If they didn’t like you, they could just kill you secretly instead of taking you back.”
—Exactly. Since they know where you are, all they have to do is take you or kill you. And if they were certain of your demise, a new guardian bird would be reborn. How convenient, to brainwash a new bird and raise it as a sacred artifact for the Holy Kingdom?
Her words were harsh. People shouldn’t do such cruel things.
—As you know, I died at Cesar’s hands. But I wasn’t reborn immediately. Probably because I died before fully awakening my power. And that was fortunate for me, though unfortunate for the panicked fools in the Holy Kingdom. They would have already returned Petri, believing I would return and protect the Holy Kingdom.
The bird, which had been perched on my hand, flew around the room in circles. And a strange sight appeared.
Memories, like a panorama, unfolded before my eyes. And they were eerily similar to the original story.
—I was unstable, so I could access the memories engraved in my soul, and I learned what freedom was. A freedom that would be taken away if I was reborn and lost my memories.
I finally understood why the Tower Master, Heron, and the spirits had been hiding everything from me. They were right; there was no benefit in knowing my true nature.
If I had been killed or chosen to return while interacting with the Holy Kingdom, as the bird had just said, I would have lost my freedom and been confined as a sacred artifact, protecting the kingdom.
“A life of praise, yet hidden from the world, a life of sacrifice for others, bound by duty…”
‘I would have been trapped in the temple.’
I didn’t know whether to call this bird’s life tragic or lament my own misfortune for grabbing onto a helping hand that turned out to be the beginning of my suffering.
“So? You’re already dead, so how did you call me here and change fate?”
—I received help from the Spirit King. Didn’t you notice? The spirits are unusually kind and obedient towards you.
“But our souls are different.”
They treated me as if I was the original soul of this body.
The little bird chirped and flew around my head, as if amused by my question.
—Haha… I haven’t laughed like this in a while. My energy mixed with yours when you entered my body. You awakened your divine power and even became human.
“But you’re the original owner of this body.”
This little bird was the original owner. It wouldn’t have been strange for her to demand her body back.
And yet, not only had she put me in her body, but she hadn’t asked for it back, just lingering around.
—Turning back time requires a price. Even with the Spirit King’s power, interfering with the flow of time requires a soul as payment.
“Don’t tell me, you…”
—It’s not complete annihilation. I chose to merge with another soul. I thought it wouldn’t be bad to share your freedom if you successfully helped me attain it.
“Why did you choose that? Wasn’t there a way to just preserve your memories? That would have been less risky.”
—I was tired of repeating the same life. I didn’t want to live like that anymore. I was willing to give up my body if it meant someone could change my fate. Even if it meant my soul gradually merging with yours and disappearing without a trace… I could experience happiness.
The little bird, chirping happily, looked strangely sad.
I felt tears welling up. Whether it was because of the emotions embedded in this body or the fragments of memories flooding in, I felt a deep sadness and loneliness.
If I had failed, this bird would have been trapped in my soul forever, never experiencing true happiness or freedom.
I composed myself and asked,
“…Then was the novel I read also a false memory created by this body?”
The answer came smoothly.
—It’s not fake. They say books contain other worlds, and that’s true. That’s what this world is. And I could bring you here because you already knew about this world, indirectly.
“I don’t know if I should be happy or not… Then what should I do now? They’ll try to kill me if I don’t go back. And no matter what I choose, it seems inevitable that you and I will return there.”
Thanks to my efforts in this world, I had changed Cesar’s fate and brought him closer to a happy ending, but unless I changed my own fate, I couldn’t have my happy ending.
As I looked at the small bird with trembling hands, feeling anxious, it ruffled its head feathers, as if telling me not to worry, and chirped cheerfully,
—There’s only one option left. They’ll eventually realize that you’re not going back to the Holy Kingdom. So if you don’t want to be tormented by them and wait for your death, you have to strike first.
The tiny bird, needlessly brave, was talking about war.
As if it was the easiest thing in the world.